From February of 2012 to January of 2014 Novak has won 1 Slam; the rest, he has contended and come up short mostly in the finals, and sometimes in the semis to the eventual champion. He's remained at or near the top, but not really punching through.
(To me), while his forehand has improved it seems to have come at the expense of his backhand. He still hits the jaw-dropping winners, but overall the shot has become loopier, too often falling way short of the baseline. The down the line backhands which used to be consistently present seem increasingly sporadic. Again this is just my opinion but the backhand which was his bedrock shot has lost a lot of sting and Novak's lost full confidence in it.
Mentally, in the big moments he's been chunking it while it's been the other guys who have been punching through. We are talking a few key points in each match. It seems silly to quibble over, but they are the difference between whether one holds the cup or the plate.
His team has made some poor choices in who they select to bring on board. Todd Martin? Wojtek Fibak? Now Becker? Objectively the first one lost him a year and a half, the 2nd one did nothing, and the third? All he seems to have brought thus far is one more ugly face to the box.
My prediction for this year on the Nolecoaster - he will either hover near the top and lose in the semis and finals of slams, or he will make some real changes to position himself to win again and not just make it to the dance. The way things are now it seems he is stuck hovering, and might even drop a little.
